Portable spot lamp



April 1942- G. E. GRAVENSTINE 2,278,545

PORTABLE SPOTLAMP Filed Sept. 11, 1940 .jlatented Apr. 7, 1942 UNITED STATE s PATENT OFFICER PORTABLE SPOT LAMP George E. Gravenstina; Dayton, Ohio, assignor to The S. H. Thomson Manufacturing Company, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 11, 1940, Serial No. 356,370

2 Claims. (c1. Mil-8.18)

formed bcdy shell providing a pistol grip adapted to be readily carried and aimed by one hand and provided with a switch mounted for convenient operation by the thumb of the hand in which the searchlight is held so that the lamp bulb can be conveniently controlled.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a portable Searchlight having 9. depending pistol grip which is connected through a mid portion to an enlarged reflector holding portion in which the cover glass or lens is screwed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a vertical central section through a searchlight embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the Searchlight;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the Searchlight showing the manner in which it is grasped by the hand of the user;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig-1;

Fig. 5 is a front view of an upper portion of the Searchlight, with the lens removed; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a part ofthe body shell.

The drawing shows the preferred embodiment of the invention in the form of a portable searchlight or spot lamp adapted to be readily carried and aimed by one hand of the user, power being supplied through an electrical connection extending from the searchlight to a battery or other suitable power source. Referring more particularly to the drawing, in which the same reference numerals have been used to designate like parts in the several views, the Searchlight comprises a body shell generally designated by the reference numeral to. This body shell, which is of integral construction, provides a bowlshaped holder ll of substantial size, a mid portion I! which extends substantially axially from the holder, and a depending hand grip l3 which projects substantially transversely from the outer end of the mid portion. The-hand grip forms a.

convenient support by which the Searchlight can be grasped, carried and aimed by one hand of the user.

The holder II has an outer or rim portion i5 providing an outwardly facing abutment surface [6 adapted for cooperation with the rim flange ll of a reflector IS. The latter may be a parabolically shaped sheet of metal or other suitable material having a reflecting surface which directs the light beams coming to it from the lamp bulb l9 so that such light beams travel insubstantially parallel paths in the direction in which the searchlight is pointed.

' Internal threads 20 are provided in the rim portion I5 ofholder ll, cooperating with internal threads molded in the rim of the front glass or, l'ensZl. The lens isapplied merely by screwing it in place in the holder. Between the inner face of the lens and the reflector is a ring 22 of felt or other yielding material so that when the lens is screwed into the holder the ring 22 will press the reflector firmly against the surface iii of the holder and all of these parts will be held in their assembled positions. When'the lens is screwed in place, the reflector will be held against rotation, as it is provided with a projecting tongue 23 received in a slot extending parallel to the reflector axis and arranged in the rim portion l5 as will be apparent from Figs, 5 and 6 of the drawing.

In line with the axis of the reflector, the latter is provided with a cylindrical flange 24 which slidably receives the forward end of a lamp socket 25 in which the base of the lamp bulb I9 is secured, as by a suitable bayonet connection or the like. The lamp socket 25 is fixed to a strap 26 having an upwardly extending arm 21 which is in threaded engagement with the focusing screw 28 the head of which is substantially flush with the rear end of the mid portion l2 of the body shell. By turning the screw 28 the strap 26v and thus the lamp socket itself is adjusted in the direction of the axis of the reflector, for focusing purposes. A spring 29 holds the screw from turning freely, as it presses forwardly against the arm 21 as will be apparent from Fig. 1 of the drawing.

Electric current is supplied to the lamp bulb by means of a connection cord 3| which extends l through a hole 32 in the bottom of the hand grip, the cord having suitable connection members such as the lugs 33 by which it may be attached to a battery or transformer. One wire of the connection cord extends to the lamp socket 25 and the other wire is connected at 34 to one side of an electric switch II. The other side of the switch is connected by a wire I! to a small plate 31 on a disk of insulating material and engaging the contact point of the lamp base. The spring II holds this contact plate against the lamp base while permitting adjustment of the lamp socket under the control of the focusing screw.

The switch 38 has a button I! operable in a slot ll in the upper face of the mid-portion II. The button may be moved forwardly or rearwardly to close or open the switch, thus controlling the energization of the lamp bulb. This button is so positioned on the mid-portion that it will be at a convenient point beneath the thumb of the hand in which the grip is carried, the grip on the end of the mid-portion l2 being so formed that a personsthumb is naturally placed along the upper surface of the mid-portion I! to obtain a good grasp on the hand grip. Screws ll hold the switch 35 in place.

The body shell is molded from a suitable thermoplastic material such Tenite or Bakelite." It is preferred to construct the body shell from two symmetrical molded halves, each of which provides one side of the hand grip, the mid-portion and the holder, the two halves then being molded together under suitable heat and pressure to provide an integral member. One of the halves from which the body member is made may have integral projecting pin portions 42 received in correspondingly shaped sockets in the other half to provide an interlocking connection and give additional strength to the joint, supplementing the strength afforded by the small layer of thermoplastic material employed between the mating surfaces when the two halves are attached. Before the two halves are molded together a supporting hook43 having an enlarged base 44 is placed in a molded groove formed in the mating halves to receive the lower portion of this hook, the enlarged base 44 preventing separation of the hook when the mating halves are made integral with one another.

The lower portion of the holder I I is formed to provide a supporting lug 45, preferably in the form of a short cylinder depending from the bottom of the rim portion I 5 of the holder in such a position as to form a convenient support on a battery or on some stationary object, as by inserting the lug in a socket of a suitable supporting post or other supporting part.

By having the body member formed integrally from molded light-weight material of the character mentioned, with the screw threads 20 made as a part of the molding operation, the entire body member may be made quite compact and cheaply, providing an arrangement in which the lens 2| may be attached directly to this body member. The holder portion of the body member,

although of considerable size to accommodate a reflector of large size and thus give a powerful light beam, is kept to small dimensions in the direction of the reflector axis so that the total outside dimensions of the entire searchlight are quite small as compared with the power of the light beam produced. The searchlight may thus be readily kept in the packagecompartment on the instrument board of an automobile, for example, andenergized from the car battery or generator although, as will be apparent, the searchlight may be adapted for many other different uses.

While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope oi. the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A portable Searchlight comprising a molded composition body shell providing a bowl-shaped holder for a reflector, a mid portion comparatively small compared to the outer diameter of the holder and extending substantially axially from the holder, and a hand grip extending substantially transversely from the outer end of the mid portion, said holder, mid portion and hand grip being integral with one another, a reflector in the holder, a glass lens having screw threads on the rim thereof, internal threads on the rim of the holder receiving the threads on the lens, an electric lamp bulb located at the reflector axis back of the lens, a connection lead extendin from the end of the hand grip, and switch means carried by the mid portion for controlling the energization of the lamp bulb.

2. A portable Searchlight comprising a molded composition body shell providing a bowl-shaped holder for a reflector and having a downwardly projecting carrying lug at its bottom, a mid por tion extending substantially axially from the holder, and a. hand grip extending substantially transversely from the outer end of the mid portion, said holder, mid portion and hand grip being integral with one another, a reflector in the holder, a glass lens having screw threads on the rim thereof, internal threads on the rim of the holder receiving the threads on the lens, the rim of the holder having a groove and the reflector having a tongue extension received in the groove preventing rotation of the reflector, an electric lamp bulb located in the reflector axis back of the lens, a connection lead extending from the end of the hand grip, and switch means carried by the mid portion for controlling the energization of the lamp bulb.

GEORGE E. GRAVENSTINE. 

